I think the name says it all. Bring a bottle of vodka and/or wine and leave the bullshit, ignorance, and machismo at the door. This is just a place for me to rant, show my likes and dislikes and hopefully strike up some dialogs.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

So on Tuesday night, a new nightspot, The Lobby, held a reception for loyal customers of Sushi Neko to introduce their goods. I attended with Jason and enjoyed complimentary wine and samplings of their menu. Many, many samplings of their various smoked salmon with wasabi and ginger caviar, duck with homemade mustard sauce and various cheese and meat paninis. My glass was rarely empty as it was filled with Hayman and Hill Cabernet and Angeline Pinot Noir, both perfect pairings with the accompanying goodies. Also served were some of their white wines, but I never made it that far. Our glasses were constantly being refilled and our plates overcrowded with samples by a very helpful, smiling, and courteous staff. My friend Tyson, who manages at Musashi's and a waitress Lisa were very helpful in answering our questions about The Lobby and providing us with information about the items served.

The Lobby is a new addition to the Will Rogers Theater and is brought to you by those who own Sushi Neko and Musashi's. The lobby is located where Will's Coffee shop was located, but do not fear as they still serve all their coffee creations plus some new ones that include alcohol for bitterly cold Oklahoma days. In addition, the menus selection has been expanded to include paninis, my favorite being the Shrimp and Manchego (6.95) along with various soups and salads. For the crowd who wants a little more, The Lobby has also expanded to serve liquor, beer and a nicely priced wine selection. To go along with your glass of wine The Lobby has also joined with Chef Kurt Fleischfresser of the Coach House to bring some fine delectables. An assortment of cheese can be had from their one, two or three cheese plates ( 3.50, 7.00, and 9.50) as well as an assortment of flavored caviars. My favorite being sampled was the Wasabi Whitefish caviar (2oz 22.00). Hhhhhhhmmm delicious! They also serve various pates such as the Duck Terrine (5.50) and seasonal salmon, the House Smoked (6.50) being my favorite. Don't worry red meat eaters, The Lobby also carries various smoked and cured meats platters served with their homemade mustard sauce. If you are still craving more after all that The Lobby also serves various desserts from Apple Pie (3.50) to their Coconut Cream Pudding (3.95). Pair this along with an after dinner dessert wine or one of their special coffee liquor drinks and you should be good to go. The Lobby should be open on February 4th to the public, but some said it might be open by this Friday, so you should check to make sure. During the week, hours will be from 8am until 11pm and 12am on Friday and Saturday nights, with Sundays being a day of rest. Formulations are still under way for an exact opening time for The Lobby versus the coffee shop, but lunch will be available. Definitely a place to visit again.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

I came across this article tonight and thought its subject matter pretty nifty. It would be nice if other cities would follow NYC's lead on their attack on Trans Fat. NYC recently passed a law that would require all fast food and chain restaurants to post calories and fat grams on their menus and billboards. I think this might help people make better decisions. Some would say with guilt, but that is usually how you stick to healthy eating. Others would say this is just another way the government is intruding into our personal lives. It is funny because most of these people do not actually take responsibility for their own lives. This issue also effects you even if you don't eat fast food or at chain restaurants. In a report released a couple weeks ago, the American government spends about $93 million dollars annually on health issues related to people being overweight and/or obese. Diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, sleep disorders, strokes, to name a few, are all related to the diets we eat. This fat epidemic has also been cited as one reason for soaring health care costs. When our tax dollars are being spent because others can't control what they eat, make healthy decisions, and/ or exercise, I believe the government has a right to intervene. Nuff said. Read the article.

Future chefs learn how to cut trans fat

By MICHELLE R. SMITH, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 26, 4:47 PM ET

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The movement to ban artery-clogging trans fats from food has a new venue: cooking schools.

The places that train the people who will someday be feeding the rest of us are cutting back or eliminating artificial trans fats from their classrooms, saying they have a responsibility to teach students how to cook healthy foods.

"It's a very welcome change," said John O'Connell, 19, a sophomore culinary arts student at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, one of the nation's largest cooking schools.

The school has started phasing out trans fats in its restaurants, hotels and dining services on four campuses around the country, and plans to be trans fat-free by the fall semester.

"We have made sure that we do the right thing," said Karl J. Guggenmos, dean of culinary education.

Other cooking schools, such as Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America, with 13 locations, are looking at reducing or eliminating trans fats, said Kirk T. Bachmann of Le Cordon Bleu, which is based in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., banned trans fats from nearly all its classes and restaurants in 2005.

Artificial trans fats are often found in oils used to deep-fry foods such as french fries and in baked goods. Bakers like to use shortenings with trans fats because cakes stay fresher longer, frosting is easier to use, and they cost less than butter.

Trans fats are created when hydrogen is added to liquid cooking oils to harden them. Along with saturated fats, they raise levels of so-called bad cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease.

New York City banned cooking oils with trans fat from all restaurants last year, and several states and cities have debated similar measures. A number of fast-food restaurants chains are making the switch to trans fat-free cooking oils.

At the Culinary Institute of America, trans fat is one of the "hot button" topics, said school spokesman Stephan Hengst.

"Once they get out in the industry, they've got to understand it," he said of students.

The school has about 3,000 students at its main campus and three branches, and boasts such famous alumni as restaurateur Charlie Palmer and best-selling author and chef Anthony Bourdain.

Trans fats are banned at the school, Hengst said, except in advanced cake decorating classes where students work with trans fat-based shortening. But no one eats the cakes once they're decorated; they're thrown away.

At Johnson & Wales, it took months of work to get trans fats out of the school's curriculum. Their textbook has hundreds of recipes and about 50 included trans fats, said Wanda Cropper, who oversees the school's baking and pastry institute.

Eliminating it from some recipes was relatively easy — butter and olive oil are often good substitutes. But baking was different. Getting the right texture, color, smell and taste was tricky, and took a lot of trial and error, Cropper said.

"Baking is a science. You can't just substitute," she said.

Until recently, there weren't many good options for trans fat-free baking products, Guggenmos said. The school worked closely with its supplier to find ingredients that worked and to reformulate its recipes as needed.

Guggenmos estimates it will cost about 5 percent more for the trans fat-free ingredients, although that could ease as the market grows for such products.

Robbi Mills, 21, a 2007 graduate of Johnson & Wales who's now a manager at the university-owned Johansson's Bakery in downtown Providence, said trans fats weren't an issue when she was in school. The bakery is switching non-trans fats in the coming months.

"I didn't really have any exposure to it when I was in the labs," she said. "I wish I had known more."

So recently it has come out that Ron Paul had released newsletters with his name on the overhead supporting racist statements. While these newsletters may have come out years ago, they were still were published with the Ron Paul name. Ron Paul has tried to distance himself from these letters by saying he did not know that said articles in statement were published, nor was he aware who wrote them. He also goes further by saying that he has never "spoke" these sentiments aloud. Obviously I have a problem with this excuse. Ron Paul decides to never take responsibility for what was said in his name, nor does he say he never "thought" the thoughts written in the newsletters. In a way, it is a convenient way for one to say that one never had these thoughts that were published in one's name. Ron Paul falls into the "Libertarian" idea of thought.

Most libertarians would like the government to vanish from intruding in their lives and have people decide their own fate. Unluckily, most of the Libertarians I have met are more to the right side of politics and have the view that "those which are the fittest survive." It may also be no surprise that most of the Libertarians that I have met are White and well off.

While some of Ron Pauls's policies may seem promising and hopeful to a Nation in need of help, many of his ideas include that many people are actually left out of the picture. In a society that many Democrats want to create in which you would be covered by health insurance, many Libertarians believe that a community would support those that can't afford it. It you can't find a community to support your endeavor for full coverage then that is your fault, not the governments. With this thought, people will be left to their own devices.

Many Libertarians do not consider the ideas of race, religion, creed, sexual orientation, age nor sex in their ideas of politics, Yet, they still describe what would be best for this Nation. A Nation in which those that can afford help achieve it and those who can't rarely meet it.

While I agree that we need third party candidates, I also believe that we need candidates whom are fair and just. Believing that the government has too much control in your life has little standing when life is filled with racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, and religious bigotry, When people are fully treated according to who they are rather than who they "could" be or "should" be, then the Libertarians can have their say.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Since I am the only male with an all female immediate family, this is the true reason people are scared when we drive. Not because we are Asian, but because it's how are brains are wired. So don't blame us!

Study: Women, gay men share driving flaws

Fri Jan 4, 6:30 PM ET

SUMMARY: Women and gay men are slower to take in spatial information, suggesting it's tougher for them to drive in a strange environment, a UK study shows.

Both women and gay men tend to rely on local landmarks to navigate the road and are slower to take in spatial information, a new U.K. study has shown.

Psychologists at Queen Mary, University of London, say that the findings suggest that these drivers would have a more difficult experience than straight male motorists when driving in a strange environment, The Daily Telegraph of London reported Wednesday.

A group of 140 volunteers took computer-based tests, revealing that gay men, lesbians, and straight women share similar navigational skills. The test showed, however, that women are better able than men to remember the position of objects.

"Gay people appear to show a 'mosaic' of performance, parts of which are male-like and other parts of which are female-like," said Qazi Rahman, who led the research team, in the article. (The Advocate)If you'd like to know more, you can find stories related to Study: Women, gay men share driving flaws .